Phase 3 Study Comparing New and Standard Pembrolizumab Maintenance Treatments for Non-Squamous Lung Cancer

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying a new way to give immunotherapy as maintenance treatment for patients with metastatic non-squamous lung cancer. This phase III clinical trial compares a pulse dosing schedule with a conventional dosing schedule to see if the less frequent pulse dosing is not worse than the standard treatment. The study focuses on pembrolizumab alone or combined with pemetrexed as the maintenance therapy after initial chemotherapy and immunotherapy induction. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the Pulse arm, pembrolizumab 200 mg is given every 6 weeks, and pemetrexed 500 mgm is given every 3 weeks if there is no contraindication. In the Control arm, pembrolizumab is given either 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks, plus pemetrexed 500 mgm every 3 weeks when appropriate. This treatment is given after patients have completed 3 or 4 cycles of induction therapy with pembrolizumab plus platinum and pemetrexed. During the study, participants will be monitored for overall survival over 6 years, along with progression-free survival, response duration, quality of life using several questionnaires, treatment tolerance, and economic factors. Researchers will also perform population pharmacokinetic analyses and study the drugs effect on immune cells. Patients will undergo regular assessments including clinical evaluations and laboratory tests to track treatment effects and safety throughout the study period.

Maintenance Pembrolizumab at Usual or Low doSE in Non-squamous Lung Cancer: a Non-inferiority Study